Canada 150 Project

Our Canada 150 project concluded at the end of Canada’s 150 anniversary and it was a resounding success! A big “thank you” to all who took the time to nominate their favourite Canadian books – 112 persons named a total of 157 books, surpassing our objective of 150 books.  We are pleased to share some interesting findings from this project with you. 

The most popular books are Canadian classics: 

1.      Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery is the winner with six nominations 

2.      Two Solitudes by Hugh MacLennan, five nominations

3.      The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, four nominations

These are perhaps our next classics, each nominated by three persons:

§  The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill

§  The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart  

§  Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden

§  A White Handkerchief and Other Stories by local author Serge Sabourin

The number of titles nominated per author reveals both contemporary popularity and classics.  Quebec’s well-loved author Louise Penny had eight of her 13 books nominated, while Margaret Atwood had seven.  Mordecai Richler, John Farrow (local author Trevor Ferguson) and children’s favourite Robert Munsch each had three of their titles chosen.

Essentially all categories were represented, with Fiction being by far the most popular.

§  Fiction                                                94

§  Non-Fiction                                        21

§  Fiction Mystery                                   18

§  Junior, Teen & Picture books              17

§  Biography                                            7

We can say with certainty that our Canadian authors are a prolific lot, producing books recognized for their depth and topicality not just to Canadians but to a global audience as well.  We are pleased to highlight these literary treasures and hope that our project has opened the door to new reading pleasures for you.  Our Canada 150 binder, with the complete listing of nominated books, remains on display at the library.